Electrical fixture for panel mounting



a 1967 G- H. SMITH 3,29

ELECTRICAL FIXTURE FOR PANEL MOUNTING Filed April 17, 1964 INVENTOR. 6150265 A. SM/ 71/ ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,297,977 ELECTRICAL FIXTURE FOR PANEL MOUNTING George H. Smith, Floral Park, N.Y., assignor to Leviton Manufacturing (10., Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 360,683 3 Claims. (Cl. 339-126) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in electrical fixtures and it relates, more particularly, to the manner in which a wiring device such as a lampholder is mounted and supported in the fixture.

An object of the invention is to provide a means for mounting and supporting a lampholder or similar wiring device in an electrical fixture without the use of screws or similar attaching means. Another object of the present invention is to provide means for positioning a lampholder in a fixture and to simplify the assembly of the fixture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and will be better understood from the following description and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a lampholder embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view in partial section taken along the line 2-2 of the lampholder shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view in partial section illustrating the lampholder shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as assembled on a supporting panel of an electrical fixture and being drawn to an enlarged scale; and

FIG. 4 is an exploded view in perspective of the assembly illustrated in FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, there is a tombstone type of fluorescent lampholder which contains contact element (not shown) for engagement with the contact pins at one end of a bi-pin fluorescent lamp in the usual manner. A second lampholder is mounted in opposing relation to the first lampholder at an appropriate distance to receive the contact pins at the other end of the lamp. Since the two lampholders and their mountings are the same, only one lampholder and its mounting have been illustrated and described herein to avoid duplication.

In the illustrated embodiment, the lampholder comprises a body having a base 11. The base has an upper surface and a vertical body portion or extension 12 (which contains the lamp contacts) extends upwardly at the rear of the base. The upper surface of the base extends forwardly from the lower end of the vertical body portion and along opposite sides of the lower end thereof.

At its lower end, the vertical body portion is joined to the base by a neck portion 13 of reduced width which is formed by grooves or slots 14 located immediately above the upper surface of the base. The neck defining grooves form downwardly facing shoulders 15 on opposite sides of the upright body portion which are spaced from the upper surface of the base by a distancewhich will permit a supporting member 17 in the form of a panel or plate to make a sliding fit therewith.

As shown best in FIG. 4, the supporting panel or plate has an opening 16 formed at one end thereof which is shaped to receive the reduced neck portion of the vertical body with opposite edges 18 of the panel defining the opening being located beneath the overhanging shoulders on 3,297,977 Patented Jan. 10, 1967 the vertical body portion. When the lampholder is assembled on the panel, portions of the panel on oppositesides of the opening are locatedbetween the shoulders on the vertical body portion and the upper surface of the base and the lampholder is held against vertical movement relative to the panel.

interengaging detent means are employed to secure the lampholder in assembled position on the panel. For this purpose, the base of the lampholder is provided with a recess 19 extending upwardly along its front end face and rearwardly along its upper surface which is shaped to receive a retaining clip 20 in the form of an angle member of spring material. The retaining clip has a vertical leg 21 which fits into the part of the recess in the front end face of the base and may be secured to the base by means of a screw 22 or other suitable fastening device. The upper leg 23 of the angle clip extends rearwardly in the portion of the recess in the upper surface of the base and is inclined upwardly at a slight angle toward its rear end. Thus, the rear end of the clip is spaced above the bottom surface and can be depressed into the recess.

The upper leg of the clip has a raised lug or detent 24 formed thereon which projects upwardly and rearwardly from its upper surface and the panel has an aperture 25 formed therein to receive the detent. As the lampholder is moved into position on the panel, the detent enters the aperture in the panel and releasably holds the lampholder against removal. Depression of the upper leg of the angle clip into the recess in the base of the lampholder releases the detent from engagement with the panel and permits removal of the lampholder from the panel for replacement or repair.

It will be understood that various changes and modifications in the embodiment of the invention illustrated and described herein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an electrical fixture, the improvement which comprises:

(a) a supporting panel formed of sheet material;

(b) said panel having a notch-like opening formed in one edge thereof;

(c) an electrical wiring device mounted in said notchlike opening;

(d) said wiring device including a base and a portion extending upwardly from said base;

(e) said upwardly extending portion having grooves extending along opposite sides thereof adjacent the base;

(f) said grooves defining a portion of the wiring device dimensioned to fit into the notch-like opening in the panel with opposing walls of said grooves extending on opposite sides of portions of the panel defining the notch-like opening; and

(g) interengaging detent means on the panel and the base of the wiring device releasably holding the wiring device in assembled position in the panel.

2. In an electrical fixture, the improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein:

(a) the interengaging detent means includes a spring member mounted on the base of the wiring device in opposing relation to the panel,

o 4 (b) said spring member having an end biased toward References Cited by the Examiner engagement with the panel and being movable down- UNITED STATES PATENTS wardly relative to the base of the W1r1ng device for 2,765,397 10/1956 Harris X dlsengagemePt from P 5 2,869,043 1/1959 Locher 339 19s X 3. In an electrical fixture, the lmprovernent as defined 3,091,679 5 /1963 Norden g X in claim 2 wherein: FOREIGN PATENTS (a) the spring member comprises an angle member having a leg secured to a front face of the base and 931,803 11/1947 Francea second leg extending rearwardly over an upper face 10 EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner. of the base. ALFRED S. TRASK, Examiner. 

1. IN AN ELECTRICAL FIXTURE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES: (A) A SUPPORTING PANEL FORMED OF SHEET MATERIAL; (B) SAID PANEL HAVING A NOTCH-LIKE OPENING FORMED IN ONE EDGE THEREOF; (C) AN ELECTRICAL WIRING DEVICE MOUNTED IN SAID NOTCHLIKE OPENING; (D) SAID WIRING DEVICE INCLUDING A BASE AND A PORTION EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID BASE; (E) SAID UPWARDLY EXTENDING PORTION HAVING GROOVES EXTENDING ALONG OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF ADJACENT THE BASE; (F) SAID GROOVES DEFINING A PORTION OF THE WIRING DEVICE DIMENSIONED TO FIT INTO THE NOTCH-LIKE OPENING IN THE PANEL WITH OPPOSING WALLS OF SAID GROOVES EXTENDING ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF PORTIONS OF THE PANEL DEFINING THE NOTCH-LIKE OPENING; AND (G) INTERENGAGING DETENT MEANS ON THE PANEL AND THE BASE OF THE WIRING DEVICE RELEASABLY HOLDING THE WIRING DEVICE IN ASSEMBLED POSITION IN THE PANEL. 